Polycarboxylic Acid/Calcium Carbonate Nanopowder-Derived Chelates as Sustainable Cross-Linked Wood Coatings with Improved Thermal Properties

Abstract

Highlights: What are the main findings? CaCO3 nanopowder (CCNP) was chelated using citric acid (CA) and tartaric acid (TA). The chelation reaction produced wood coatings with improved thermal properties. What are the implications of the main findings? The coatings promoted char formation and inorganic residues under O2. TA-based coating delayed combustion by limiting the surface temperature to 200 °C. This study presents a sustainable strategy for improving the thermal properties of pine wood through the application of calcium carbonate nanopowder (CCNP) chelated with polycarboxylic acids (citric acid (CA) and tartaric acid (TA)) as coatings. The chelation reaction was confirmed by the detection of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas. CCNP was characterized using microscopy and particle size analysis. The formation of crystalline calcium citrate and calcium tartrate was verified using FTIR and Raman spectroscopies, and XRD analysis. Wood treatment was conducted using different volumetric ratios of CA and TA. The CA-TA-treated (coated) wood blocks achieved the highest mass gain after treatment of around 89%, while the pure TA treatment exhibited enhanced leaching resistance, maintaining around 69% mass gain after leaching test. TGA conducted under oxidative (air) conditions showed that the coatings promoted char formation and produced inorganic residues from 6.4% to 7.8%, with the control resulting in negligible residual mass. Flame retardancy tests showed that the chelated coatings effectively delayed combustion and inhibited heat transfer, with the TA treatment showing improved flame retardancy performance by limiting the surface temperature to ~200 °C after 60 s of exposure, as compared to >550 °C for the control.